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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent

THE fall army worm which was first reported in Matabeleland North, has spread to Bulawayo.

The pest, which is new in the country and is very devastating, has also been reported in the Midlands province.

Matabeleland North provincial Agritex officer Mr Dumisani Nyoni said they first received reports about the fall army worm in Bulawayo about two weeks ago.

He said crops in Luveve, Bellevue and Woodvile Park suburbs were the most affected.

“The Government is assisting farmers through advising them with information on which chemicals they can use to destroy the worm,” he said.

Mr Nyoni said in Matabeleland North almost all farmers participating in Command Agriculture have been affected.

He said the fall army worm has been reported in Hwange, Lupane, Umguza, Binga, Bubi and Tsholotsho districts.

Mr Nyoni said the fall army worm was common in the United States and it is suspected it came with imported maize.

Meanwhile, Government said it had started distributing Carbaryl 85 Wettable Powder across the country to control the outbreak of the fall armyworm.

Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, department of Plant Protection and Research Institute chief entomologist, Dr Godfrey Chikwenhere, said the pest had 12 cycles and could continue recurring after the first spray.

He urged farmers to continue scouting their crop even after spraying.

Dr Chikwenhere said the fall army worm should be controlled during the early days of its life to reduce the rate of recurrence. He said if left to grow, it would require more chemicals  to control and could also become resistant to the chemicals.

— @nqotshili